Installing WSL¶
SUSA uses Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for selected command line tools and
Linux based workflows. Complete this setup in the SUSA virtual machine before
following a guide that opens Ubuntu or invokes wsl.exe.
Choose WSL 1 or WSL 2¶
On supported Windows systems, run wsl --install from an administrator
PowerShell window and restart if prompted. New installations use WSL 2 by
default. In a Windows VM, WSL 2 also needs the hypervisor to expose the required
virtualisation support. See Microsoft's installation guide
and WSL virtualisation guidance.
The screenshots below follow the older setup used for this workstation, which selects WSL 1 for subsequently installed distributions. Use that path only when it suits your tools and VM configuration. WSL 1 and WSL 2 are different execution environments; check the requirements of the tool you intend to run.
For a manual WSL 2 installation, enable Virtual Machine Platform as well as the required WSL components, then restart. Enabling only the feature shown in the first screenshot is not a complete WSL 2 setup. Microsoft documents the manual installation steps.
Installing Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)¶
Enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux¶
Before installing a Linux distribution, enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux optional feature.
Open PowerShell as an administrator (Start > PowerShell > right click PowerShell > Run as administrator) and run the following command:
Restart the computer to apply the changes.
Installing Ubuntu as WSL¶
Open the Microsoft Store and search for your preferred Linux distribution. For this guide, Ubuntu was used.
From the distribution's page, click Get to begin the installation.
After the download is complete, click Open.
On the build shown below, launching Ubuntu opened two terminal windows: one reported a missing WSL component and the other offered to install or update WSL. Your prompts may differ if WSL is already installed.
If the WSL installer prompts you to continue, follow its instructions. Installing the WSL package and choosing the version used by a Linux distribution are separate steps.
When prompted by User Account Control, select Yes.
After the installation is complete, the following message will be displayed:
Press any key to exit.
To follow the WSL 1 setup shown here, open PowerShell as an administrator and set the default for future distributions to 1. Skip this command if you are using WSL 2:
Verify that the default WSL version is set to 1 by running:
The default applies to distributions installed or imported afterwards. To see the version used by each installed distribution, run:
Record the distribution name and version because later SUSA commands may use a specific Ubuntu instance or import an additional distribution.
From the Start menu, search for Ubuntu and open it.
The first launch extracts and configures the distribution. Later launches are usually faster, but the time depends on the distribution, WSL version and available resources.
You will then be prompted to create a user account and password for the Linux distribution.
You have now successfully installed and configured a Linux distribution integrated with Windows.
Pinning WSL to the Taskbar¶
Select Start. Under Recommended, locate Ubuntu, right click it, then select Pin to taskbar.
The Ubuntu icon should now appear on the taskbar, providing quick access to the WSL environment.